Latching means



Aug- 29, 1957 lM. BERTOVICH. JR.,l ETAL 3,338,611

LATCHING MEANS 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed oct. 13, 1965 FIGS.

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Allg` 29, 1967 M, BERTOVICH, JR., ETAL 3,338,611

LATCHING MEANS Filed 0G15. 13, 1965 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 U8 29, 1957 M. BERTOVICH. JR. r-:TAL 3,338,611

LATCHING MEANS 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Oct. 13, 1965 .mgm

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United States Patent Oliice 3,338,611 Patented Aug. 29, 1967 3,338,611 LATCHING MEANS Matthew Bertovich, Jr., Monroeville, Pitcairn, and Clayton T. Walker, Penn Hills Township, Pittsburgh, Pa.,

assignors to Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Oct. 13, 1965, Ser. No. 495,413 4 Claims. (Cl. 292-281) This invention relates to latching mechanisms and more particularly to actuating means for such mechanisms.

In ycertain applications of electrical apparatus, such as switchgear, which is primarily designed `for indoor applications, it is common practice to provide an outdoor weather-proof enclosure or housing which includes one or more doors to permit access to operating personnel for maintenance or other purposes. Each door of such an enclosure normally includes a `door latching mechanism which is dis-posed on the inner side of the door and which is manually actuable Iby an external operating handle which is rotatably mounted on the door. In order to prevent access to the enclosure by unauthorized persons, means may be provided to permit the padlocking of the external operating handle to thereby prevent manual actuation of the associated latching mechanism to an unlatched operating position, such as disclosed in detail in U.S. Patent 3,076,328 which issued Feb. 5, 1963 to G. E. Rhodes and C. W. Koenig and whch is assigned to the same assignee as the present application.

It has been tound that the means disclosed for padlocking the operating handle of the latching mechanism in the above-mentioned patent may permit sufficient movement of the handle to unlatch the latching mechanism even when a padlock is in place and may present certain problems in padlocking the associated handle if ice should fo-rm adjacent to the handle during certain weather conditions. It is therefore desirable to provide an improved latching mechanism of the type described which includes means for more closely controlling the movement of an external operating handle by a locking means and whose operation is lbetter protected from the formation of ice during adverse weather conditions.

It is an object of this invention to provide a new and improved door latching means.

Another yo-bject of the invention is to provide an im-- proved means for restraining movement of an actuating member, such as a handle, in at least one direction of movement.

A more specic object of this invention is to provide an improved means ttor restraining movement of an actuating handle in a door latching mechanism for a weatherproof housing `or enclosure.

Other objects of the invention will, in part, be obvious and will, in part, appear hereinafter.

For a vfuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention, reference should Ibe had to the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE l is a fragmentary elevational view of a door latching mechanism embodying the principal features of the invention with the mechanism shown latching an associated door in a closed position with respect to an associated enclosure;

FIG. 2 is a view in side elevation of the latching mechanism shown in FIGURE 1;

FIG. 3 is a View, partly in plan and partly in section, of the latching mechanism shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and the hinge support on the associated enclosure for the door on which the mechanism is disposed;

FIG. 4 is a front elevational view Iof the latching meclhanism shown in FIG. 1 with the mechanism in an unlatched operating condition;

FIG. 5 is partial, front elevational View of the latching mechanism shown in FIG. 1 illustrating a returning operation to a neutral position of the mechanism following a latching operation;

FIG. 6 is a partial, front elevational view of the latching mechanism shown in FIG. 1, illustrating an unlatching operation of the mechanism .by means other than the external operating handle;

FIG. 7 is a view, partly in side elevation and partly in section, of a portion of the latching mechanism shown in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged view, partly in rear elevation and partly in section, of the external operating handle which forms part of the latching mechanism shown in FIGS. 1 and 2; and

FIG. 9 is an enlarge-d view, partly in side elevation and partly in section, of the external operating handle shown in FIG. 8.

Referring noul to the drawings and FIGS. 1 and 3 in particular, there is illustrated a portion of an enclosure or housing inside olf which an electrical or other apparatus may lbe disposed. As illustrated, the enclosure includes the vertically extending housing portions or panels 36 and 38 which are spaced from one another to `define an opening therebetween thro-ugh which access may be gained to the interior of the overall enclosure. A door 32 is provided to normally cose oil the opening between the housing portions 36 and 38 and is rotatably supported at one side of the opening by a hinge pivot 34 WhicLh in turn is supported on and secured to a vertically extending ange portion 36A of the housing portion 36. The other side of the `door 32 is disposed to engage a vertically extending flange or frame portion 39 which may lbe formed integrally with the housing member or portion 38, as best shown in FIG. 3. A resilient, vertically extending gasket member 35 maybe mounted on the inside of the door to engage the edge of the frame portion 39 to ensure a good seal between the door 32 and the balance of the enclosure to thereby prevent t-he entrance of moisture or other contaminating materials.

In order to releasably latch the door 32 in a closed position with respect to the associated enclosure as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the upper and lower latch means 40 and 50, respectively, are pivotally mounted on the inside of the door 32 adjacent to the frame portion 39 of the associated enclosure and are actuable to engage the frame portion 39 when the door 32 is in a closed position with respect to the associated enclosure. More specically, the upper latch means 40` includes a generally rectangular latch plate member 42 which is pivotally supported on the inside of the door 32 adjacent to one corner, as best shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 on a pivot pin or stud 63 which is secured to the inside of the door 32 by a suitable means, such as Welding, and which, as illustrated, includes a threaded inner end of reduced cross section, as indicated at 46, which passes through an opening in the latch member 42. The pivot support 63` also acts as a spacer member to space the latch member 42 away from the plane of the main portion of the door 32, as best shown in FIG. 2. The shoulder form on the pivot support 63 w-here the portion 46 of reduced cross section meets the main portion of the pivot support 63 functions as a bearing surface for the latch member 42 with the latch member 42 being retained on the pivot support 63 by suitable means, lsuch as a washer and a nut which are disposed on the portion 46 of reduced cross-section at the inner end of the pivot support 63. It is to be noted that the latch member 42 is varranged to rotate in a plane which is spaced from and substantially parallel to the plane of the main portion of the door 32 and is arranged to frictionally engage the inner surface of the ange portion 39 of the associated enclosure when the latch member 42 is actuated to the latched position as shown in FIGURE 1. Similarly, the lower latch means 50 includes a latch member 52 which is pivotally supported on the inside of the door 32 on a pivot pin 65 which is secured to the inside of the door 32 by suitable means, such as welding, and which extends rearwardly from the inside of the door 32 and similarly includes a portion of reduced cross section, as indicated at 56, which passes through an aligned opening in the lower latch member 52. The pivot support 65 also acts as a spacer member with the latch member 52 being retained on the pivot support 65 by suitable means, such as a washer and nut, which is disposed on the threaded portion 56 of reduced cross section. lIt is also to be noted that both the upper and lower latch members 42 and 52, respectively, are of the fiat plate type in configuration.

In order to permit the upper and lower latch means 40 and 50', respectively, to be simultaneously actuated by a common actuating means, the upper and lower latch means 40 and 56 respectively are operatively connected by a vertically extending latch operating rod 62 which passes through an opening 66 in a guide bracket 64 that is mounted on the inside of the door 32. The latch operating rod 62 is pivotally connected to the latch members 42 and v52. In particular, the upper end of the latch operating rod 62 includes an opening through which passes a pivot pin 44 that is mounted on the upper latch member 42 with the upper end of the latch operating rod 62 being retained on the pivot pin 44 by suitable means, such as a washer and a cotter pin 45. Similarly, the lower end of the latch operating rod 62 is .pivotally connected to the lower latch member 52 by means of a pivot pin 54 which is mounted on the lower latch member 52 and which passes through an opening on the latch operating rod 62 with the lower end of the latch rod 62 being retained on the pivot pin 54 by `suitable means, such as a washer and a cotter pin 55. In order to permit actuation of the latch operating rod 62- for limited rectilinear movement up and down to thereby simultaneously actuate the latch members 42 and 52, a generally U-shaped projecting member or lug member 28 is mounted on the latch operating rod 62 intermediate the ends of the rod 62 and between the rod 62 and the inside of the door 32, as best shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. It is to be noted that downward movement of the rod 62 produces clockwise rotation of both the latch members 42 and 52 about the associated ypivot pins to the latched positions, shown in FIGURE 1, While upward movement of the rod 62 produces counterclockwise rotation of both the latch members 42 and 52 simultaneously to the unlatched positions shown in FIG. 4. It is also to be noted that when the latch members 42 and S2 are both in the latched positions shown in FIG. 1, that the force of gravity acting on the latch members 42 and 52 tends to maintain the latch members 42 and 52 in frictional engagement with the flange portion 39 of the associated enclosure.

In general, the upper and lower latch means 40 and 50 respectively are arranged to be actuated independently or alternatively by either a first door latch actuating means which includes the external operating handle 100 or -by a second emergency door latch actuating means 60 which includes the internal operating handle or bar 102.

More specifically, the first latch actuating means 20 includes an actuating shaft 22 -which is rotatably mounted and passes through an opening in the door 32, as best shown in FIG, 2. The shaft 2.2 includes an enlarged unthreaded bearing portion 22A which passes through the door 32 and is rotatably supported by a guide bearing member or bushing 23 which in turn is secured to the inside of the door 32 around the associated opening by suitable means, such as welding. The external operating handle 10i) is secured to the outer end of the bearing portion 22A of the shaft 22 for rotation with the shaft 22 generally in a plane which is substantially parallel to the plane of the main portion of the door 32. As best shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the second portion 22B of the shaft 22- which has a relatively smaller cross section than the `first shaft portion 22A and which is substantially rectangular or square in cross section is threaded and extends rearwardly from the door 32 adjacent the lug member 28 which is disposed on the latch operating rod 612. yIn order to permit actuation of the latch operating rod 62 and, in turn, the latch members 42 and 52 by the external operating handle through the shaft 22, the latch actuating lever 24 is mounted on the threaded portion 22B of the shaft 22 for rotation with the shaft 22. In order to prevent rotation of the lever 24 on the shaft 22, the lever 24 includes an opening therethrough which is substantially rectangular or square to match the cross section of the threaded portion 22B of the shaft 22 and is retained in position on the shaft 2.2 by suitable means, such as the nuts 25 and 29, which are disposed on the threaded portion of the shaft 22 on opposite sides of the lever 24 along with a lock washer 27, as best shown in FIG. 2. The latch actuating lever 24 also includes a projecting portion 24A which extends into the opening defined between the'lug member 28 and the latch operating shaft 62 for a substantial portion of the width of the lug member 28, as best shown in FIG. l. In order to limit the movement or travel of the latch operating rod 62 under the infiuence of the latch actuating lever 24 of the first latch actuating means 20 or under the inuence of the second latch actuating means 60, as will be explained hereinafter, the upper and lower stop members 26A and 26B may be mounted on the inside of the door 32 to thereby limit the rectilinear travel of the lug member 28 which is mounted on the rod 62, as best shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The stop members 26A and 26B may be formed integrally as part of a U-shaped member 26 which is secured to the inside of the door by any suitable means, such as Welding. The stop members 26A and 26B also serve to prevent the rotation of the projecting portion 24A of the latch actuating lever 24 out of the opening just described defined between the lug member 28 and the latch operating rod 62.

In considering the operation of the first latch actuating means 20, it will be assumed initially that the door 32 is closed and that the upper and lower latch means 40 and 50, respectively, are in a latched condition with respect to the associated enclosure as shown in FIG. 1 with at least a portion of each of the latch members 42 and 52 overlapping and frictionally engaging the ange portion 39 of the associated enclosure. It is to be noted that in this operating condition of the first latch actuating means 20, the external operating handle 100 is in a predetermined neutral position with the lower portion 100B of the handle 100 substantially vertically aligned and with the lower portion of the lug member 28 on the latch operating rod 62 resting on or bearing against the lower stop member 26B which is disposed on the inside of the door 32. It is also to be noted that the projecting portion 24A of the latch actuating lever 24 is disposed in a substantially horizontal position with the projecting portion 24A of the latch actuating lever 24 bearing against or disposed adjacent to the upper portion of the lug member 28 which is mounted on the latch operating rod 62. When the door 32 is to be unlatched and opened, the external operating handle 100 is manually actuated or turned in a counterclockwise direction about the axis of the shaft 22, as viewed in FIG. l to thereby also rotate the shaft 22 and the latch actuating lever 24 which is mounted on the shaft 22 in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in FIG. 1. Since the projecting portion 24A of the latch actuating lever 24 is disposed adjacent to or bears against the upper portion of the lug member 28 on the latch operating rod 62 in the initial operating position shown in FIG. l, counterclockwise rotation of the latch actuating lever 24 actuates or pushes the lug member 28 and also the latch operating rod 62 in an upward direction, as viewed in FIG. 1 to thereby rotate both of the latch members 42 and 52 in a counterclockwise direction. The external operating handle 100 is rotated in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in FIG. 1, until the latch members 42 and 52 simultaneously reach the unlatched positions shown in FIG. 4 in which the latch members 42 and 52 are spaced from or clear the ange portion 39 of the associated enclosure. It is to be noted that the rectilinear movement or travel of the latch operating rod 62 in an upward direction and the corresponding rotation of the latch members 42 and 52 is limited to the operating positions shown in FIG. 4 since the lug 4member 28 on the latch operating rod 62 is limited in its upward travel by the upper stop member 26A which is mounted on the inside of the door 32. The door 32 is now unlatched and is free to open by rotating the door 32 about the hinge support 34 shown in FIG. 3.

During a closing and latching operation of the latching means 40 and 50, the door 32 is first rotated to the closed position shown in FIG. 3. The external operating handle 100 is then manually actuated or rotated about the axis of the shaft 22 in a clockwise direction, as viewed in FIG. 4, from the position shown in FIG. 4 to the position shown in FIG. 5. As the external operating handle 100 is actuated in a clockwise direction from the position shown in FIG. 4, the latch actuating lever 24 and the projecting portion 24A of the latch actuating lever 24 will thereby also rotate in a clockwise direction about the axis of the shaft 22, as viewed in FIG. 4, until the projecting portion 24A of the latch actuating lever 24 bears against the lower portion of the lug member 28 which is mounted on the latch operating rod 62. It is to be noted that there will be a certain amount of lost motion before the projecting portion 24A of the latch actuating lever 24 reaches the lower portion of the lug member 28 due to the clearance between the projecting portion 24A of the latch actuating lever and the lower portion of the lug member 28 as shown in FIG. 4 for reasons which will be explained hereinafter. It is also to be noted that the lug member 28 on the rod 62 may follow the movement of the projecting portion 24A of the latch actuating lever for a short distance until the latch members 42 and 52 frictionally engage the flange portions 39 of the associated enclosure, under the inuence of the force of gravity acting on the upper and lower latch members 42 and 52 and the latch operating rod 62. When the projecting portion 24A of the latch actuating lever 24 reaches or bears against the lower portion of the lug member 28 on the rod 62, the latch operating rod 62 will -be actuated or pushed in a downward direction as viewed in lFIG. 4 to thereby actuate or rotate the latch members 42 and 52 in a clockwise direction about the associated pivot pins to the latched positions shown in FIGS. 1 and 5 to thereby latch the door 32 in a closed position. It is to be noted that the downward rectilinear movement of the latch operating rod 62 by the external operating handle 100 through the shaft 22 and the latch actuating lever 24 is limited by the engagement of the lower portion of the lug member 28 by the lower stop member 26B, as best shown in FIG. 5. In other words, the distance traveled by the latch operating rod 62 during a relatching of the latch means 40 and 50 is measured by the distance or clearance between the lower portion of the lug member 28 on the rod 62 and the lower stop member 26B, as shown in FIG. 4. It is also to be noted that the external operating handle 100 reaches a limiting position as shown in FIG. 5 during the clockwise rotation of the handle 100 as just described during the relatching of the latch means 40 and 50. The external handle 100 must then be rotated or actuated in a counterclockwise direction about the axis of the shaft 22 as viewed in FIG. 5 from the position shown in FIG. 5 to the predetermined neutral position of the operating handle 100 shown in FIG. 1 in which the projecting portion 24A of the latch actuating lever 24 is disposed in a substantially horizontal position, asV viewed in FIG. l. It is to be noted that when the external handle 100 is reset to the predetermined neutral position shown in FIG. 1, that the projecting portion 24A of the latch actuating lever 24 again is disposed adjacent to or bears against the upper portion of the lug member 28 on the latch operating rod 62 and is ready for an unlatching by operating handle 100, as previously described, or by the internal operating handle 102 as will lbe described hereinafter. It is also to be noted that it may be necessary to maintain the external operating handle in the position shown in FIG. 4 in order to maintain the latch means 40 and 50 in an unlatched condition while the door 32 is being opened or closed with respect to the associated enclosure due to the force of gravity acting on the parts which make up the latch means 40 and 50 and the latch operating rod 42 which tends to actuate the latch members 42 and 52 towards a latched condition with respect to the ange portion 39 of the associated enclosure depending upon the frictional forces which may be present during the unlatching operation and depending upon the weight of the diierent parts which make up the latch means 40 and 50 and the latch operating rod 62.

The second latch actuating means 60 which may be employed to independently or alternatively actuate the latching means 40 and 50 in general comprises means for actuating the latch means 40 and 50 through the lug member 28 on the latch operating rod 62 independently of the operation of the rst latch actuating means 20 just described. It is to be noted that the second latch actuating means 60 is intended primarily to be employed as an emergency latch actuating means when operating personnel have to leave the interior of the enclosure quickly even though the nearest door may have the external operating handle 100 padlocked or otherwise prevented from moving.

More specifi-cally, the second latch actuating means 60 includes an internal operating handle or bar 102 which, in general, is rotatably mounted on the inside of the door 32, as best shown in FIG. 3. In particular, the internal operating handle 102 is supported at the opposite ends by the supporting levers 104 which are spaced from one another and pivotally supported on the pivot pins 106 which in turn are supported by the supporting brackets 108 which are secured to the inside of the door 32 by suitable means, such as welding. The internal operating handle or bar. 102 is therefore manually actua'ble for rotation about an axis which extends between the pivot pins 106. In order to actuate the latch operating rod 62 and, in turn, the latch means 40 and 50 by the movement of the internal operating handle 102, an actuating pin or stud 110 is disposed or mounted on the right hand supporting lever 104, as viewed in FIGS. 3 and l, which projects into the opening defined 'between the lug member 28 and the latch operating rod 62 along an axis which is substantially parallel to the internal operating handle 102 or substantially parallel to an axis extending between the pivot pins 106, as indicated in FIG. 3. When the door 32 is closed and the latch members 40 and 50 are in the latched positions as shown in FIG. l, with the external operating handle 100 in the predetermined neutral position shown in FIG. 1, the actuating pin 110 of the second latch actuating means 60 is disposed adjacent to or bears against the upper portion of the lug member 28 which is mounted on the latch operating rod 62, as shown in FIG. l. It is to be noted that when the door is closed and the latch means 40 and 50 are in the latched positions shown in FIG. 1 with the external operating handle 100 in the predetermined neutral position previously described, there is a a predetermined spacing or clearance between the projecting portion of the latch actuating lever 24 and the lower portion of the lug member 28 on the rod 62 which is necessary to permit the actuating pin 110 of the second latch actuating means 60 to actuate the latch operating rod 62 and the latch means 40 and 50 as will be explained hereinafter.

Referring now to FIGS. 6 and 7, the operation of the second latch actuating means 60 which may be carried out independently of the first latch actuating means 20 will now be described. When the internal operating handle or bar 102 is manually actuated or rotated in a clockwise direction about the axis which extends between the pivot pins 106, from the position shown in solid lines in FIG. 7 which corresponds to a closed position of the door 32 and a latched condition of the latch means 40 and 50, in a clockwise direction about the axis which extends between the pivot pins 106 to the position, shown in phantom in FIG. 7 and in solid lines in FIG. 6, the actuating pin 110 is also actuated or rotated in a clockwise direction from the position shown in solid lines in FIG. 7 to the position shown in phantom in FIG. 7. When the actuating pin 110 is rotated in a clockwise direction about the axis which extends between the pivot pins 106 by the manual actuation of the internal operating handle 102, the lug member 28 on the latch operating rod 62 is thereby actuated or pushed in an upward direction until the upper portion ofthe lug member 28 engages the upper stop member 26A, as shown in FIG. 6 to thereby rotate the latch members 42 and 52 in a counterclockwise direction about the associated pivot pins to the unlatched positions shown in FIG. 4. It is to be noted that this unlatching operation by the second latch actuating means 60 may be accomplished independently of the first latch actuating means 20 because of the spacing or clearance between the lower por tion of the lug member 28 and the projecting portion 24A of the latched actuating lever 24 of the first latched actuating means 20 as shown in FIG. l. After the latching means 40 and 50 are unlatched by the operation of the second latch actuating means 60, as just described, the door 32 may then be opened as previously described in connection with the first latch actuating means 20. The door 32 may then be subsequently reclosed and the latch means 40 and 50 relatched by the operation of the second latch actuating means by manually actuating or rotating the internal operating handle in a counterclockwise direction about the axis which extends through the pivot pins 106 as viewed in FIG. 7. The actuating pin 110 will then rotate also in a counterclockwise direction about the axis which extends through the pivot pins 106 until the actuating pin 110 engages the lower portion of the lug member 28 and the actuating pin 110 pushes the latch operating rod 62 in `a downward direction until the lower portion of the lug member 28 engages the lower stop member 26B to thereby rotate the latch members 42 and 52 in a clockwise direction about their associated pivot pins until the latch members 42 and 52 are returned to the latched positions shown in FIG. l. In order to relatch the latch means 40 and 50 by the operation of the second latch actuating means 60, the internal operating handle or bar 102 is rotated in a counterclockwise -direction about the axis which extends through the pivot pins 106 beyond the position of the internal operating handle shown in solid lines in FIG. 7 and then the internal operating handle 102 is rotated back to the predetermined neutral position in a clockwise direction about the axis which extends through the pivot pins 106, as viewed in FIG. 7, to the position shown in solid lines in FIG. 7 similarly to the operation of the external operating handle 100 previously described in` connection with the operation of the first latch actuating means 20.

Referring now to FIGS. 8 and 9 there is illustrated a handle latching means or detent means to restrain or prevent movement or rotation of the external operating handle 100 in at least one direction of movement or rotation in order to prevent unauthorized persons from gaining access to the interior of the associated enclosure when the external operating handle 100 is padlocked, las will be explained in detail. The handle latching means 70 comprises a hasp member 212 which is rotatably mounted on the operating handle 100 for rotation about an axis which is disposed substantially perpendicular to or transverse with respect to the axis of the shaft 22 as best shown in FIG. 8 and which is actuable in a predetermined oper- 3 ating position of the operating handle to engage a generally U-shaped or staple member 72 which is mounted on the door 32 to permit the padlocking of the handle 100 in a predetermined operating position.

More specifically, the external operating handle 100 comprises an upper portion 100A which is generally hollow cylindrical or tubular in configuration with one end or side of the upper handle portion 100A being closed off, as indicated at 100C, to form a protective hood or Weather cover for the hasp member 212 which is disposed substantially inside the upper portion of the operating handle 100 in a normal operating position of the hasp member 212. The lower handle portion 100B of the handle 100 is secured to or formed integrally with the upper handle portion 100A at a predetermined point on the periphery of the upper handle portion 100A and extends or projects radially away from a central axis about which the upper handle portion 100A is formed, as best shown in FIG. 8. As mentioned previously, the shaft 22 which extends through an opening in the door 32 has the outer end secured to the upper handle portion 100A -adjacent to the outer periphery of the upper handle portion 100A and, as illustrated, is disposed eccentrically with respect to the central axis about which the upper handle portion may `be considered to be disposed. In order to rotatably support the hasp member 212 inside the upper portion 100A of the handle 100, the pivot pin or shaft 202 is rotatably mounted inside the upper handle portion 100A with the ends of the shaft 202 projecting into a pair of aligned openings provided at the opposite sides of the upper handle portion 100, as indicated at 122 and 124. As illustrated, a flanged sleeve bearing 204 may be disposed in the opening 122 to receive the left end of the shaft 202, as viewed in FIG. 8, which has a relatively smaller cross section, as indicated at 202A. The flanged end of the sleeve bearing 204 bears against the shoulder which is formed at the left end of the shaft 202 and assists in retaining the shaft 202 in assembled relationship with the upper housing portion 100A. In order to provide a convenient mounting surface for the hasp member 212, which is of the flat plate type in configuration, a flattened surface 206 may be provided on the shaft 202, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9. One side of the hasp member 212 may be secured to the shaft 202 by any suitable means such as the screws or bolts 218 which threadedly engage aligned openings provided in the shaft 202. The hasp member 212 includes a slot or opening 214 which is adapted to receive the staple member 72 on the door 32 when the handle 100 is in a predetermined neutral operating position. In order to retain the right end of the shaft 202 in assembled relationship with the upper housing portion 100A, the hasp member 212 may be provided with a projecting portion 217 which is adapte-d to bear against the adjacent side wall portion of the upper housing portion 100A, as best shown in FIG. 8. In order to permit manual actuation of the hasp member 212 from the neutral operating position shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the hasp member 212 is also provided with a projecting portion 216 which projects beyond the outer periphery of the upper 'housing portion 100A, as indicated in FIG. 8. In order to provide a yieldable means for normally biasing the hasp member 212 to the operating position shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 in which the hasp member 212 is disposed substantially inside the upper housing portion 100A, the torsion spring 222 is disposed on the right end of the shaft 202 with one end of the torsion spring 222 bearing against the rear of the upper housing portion 100A and the other end of the torsion spring 222 passing through a recess or opening 215 in the hasp member 212 to engage one side of the hasp member 212, as best shown in FIG. 8. In order to prevent possible injury to personnel who have occasion to manually actuate the hasp member 212 from the position shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 to the position shown in phantom in FIG. 9, the handle guard 232 is provided at the junction between the upper housing 9 portion 100A and the lower handle portion 100B as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9.

It is to be noted that the structure of the handle latching means or detent means 70 has the advantage that the construction facilitates the convenient assembly of the handle latching means 70 on the operating handle 100. In particular, the handle latching means 70 may be assembled by passing the shaft 202 through the opening 124 and the central opening in the torsion spring 222 before the hasp member 212 is Secured to the shaft 202 and then inserting the left end of the shaft 202 as viewed in FIG. 8 into the bearing member 204 which may be preassembled in the opening 122 to receive the shaft 202. The hasp member 212 may be then assembled on the shaft 202 by means of the screws and bolts 218 by assembling one end of the torsion spring 222 on the outer side of the hasp member 212 through the slot or opening 215 to complete the assembly of the handle latching means 70. It is to be noted that during the assembly of the hasp member 212 on the shaft 202, the projecting portion of the hasp member 212 indicated at 217 is first inserted through the central opening of the torsion spring 222 along the shaft 202 as shown in FIG. 8.

In the operation of the handle latching means or detent means 70, it is to be noted that the staple member or projecting member 72 is mounted on the door in the path of rotation of the external operating handle 100, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 9. The hasp member 212 is normally biased in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 9 about the axis of the pivot pin orshaft 202 to a normal operating position, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, in which the hasp member 212 is disposed substantially inside the upper portion of the handle 100 with only the projecting portion 216 of the hasp member 212 extending outside of the periphery of the upper handle portion 100A as shown in FIG. 8. When the external operating handle 100 is in a predetermined operating position which is the neutral operating position of the handle 100 shown in FIG. 1 with the lower portion 100B of the handle 100 extending downwardly in a substantially vertical direction, the hasp member 212 may be manually actuated by pushing or actuating the projecting portion -216 to thereby actuate or rotate the hasp member 212 in a clockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 9 about the axis of the shaft 202, which is substantially parallel to and spaced from the plane of the main portion of the door 32, to the position shown in phantom in FIG. 9 in which the staple or projecting member 72 projects into or engages the slot 214 provided in the hasp member 212. While manually holding the hasp member 212 in the position shown in phantom in FIG. 9, the hasp of a padlock 73 may be inserted into the opening defined between the outer portion of the staple member 72 and the hasp member 212 to capture the hasp member 212 and to thereby prevent rotation of the external operating handle from the predetermined operating position shown in FIG. l and to thereby prevent unlatching of the latching means 40'and 50 and the opening of the door by unauthorized personnel. It is to be noted that when the hasp member 212 is in its normal operating position as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 and disposed substantially inside the upper handle portion 100A, the hasp member 212 will not normally engage the staple member 212 in any operating position of the external operating handle 100. It is also to be noted that the hasp member 212 as illustrated is only adapted to engage the staple member 72 in the predetermined operating position of the handle 110 shown in FIG. 1 to thereby prevent rotation of the external operating handle 100 and the unlatching of the latching means 40 and 50. It is important to note that the latching means 40 and 50 may be actuated to the unlatched positions shown in FIG. 4 by the second latch actuating means 60 as previously described even though the external operating handle 100 is padlocked in the predetermined position shown in FIG. 1 in order to permit 1o personnel inside the associated enclosure to open the door 32 to unlatch the latch means 40 and 50 and open the door 32 under certain operating conditions, such as an emergency, independently of the padlocking of the external operating handle 100 of the first latch actuating v means 20 previously described.

Itis to be noted that the teachings of the invention may be employed in a latching means to prevent rotation of an operating handle, such as the operating handle in only one direction of rotation from a predetermined operating position by modifying the hasp member to include only a shoulder portion to bear against the associated stapler or projecting member on the door rather than a slot or re cess, as illustrated in the drawings.

The apparatus embodying the teachings of this invention has several advantages. For example, a latching means including a handlelatching means or detent as disclosed is better protected from adverse weather conditions when used with outdoor enclosures since the handle latching means or detent means is normally disposed substantially inside an upper handle -or hood portion on an external operating handle and the associated staple or projecting member on the door is `also better protected from the formation of ice or other weather conditions which might interfere or inhibit the usefulness of the handle latching means. In addition, it has been found that a latching means including a handle latching means as disclosed permits closer control of the movement of an external operating handle than known latching structures which have been employed for the same purpose. Finally, a latching means including a handle latching means as disclosed lends itself or is adapted to more convenient assembly than certain known latching means of the same general type.

Since numerous changes may be made in the above described apparatus, and different embodiments of the invention may be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, it is intended that `all the matter contained in the foregoing description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

We claim as our invention:

1. In combination, a handle including a first generally hollow cylindrical portion disposed about a substantially central axis and having at least one closed end and a second portion secured to said first portion and extending away from the axis of the first portion, a first shaft secured to the first portion and adapted to be rotatably mounted in a door, a second shaft rotatably mounted on and disposed substantially inside the first portion transversely with respect to the first shaft, a hasp mounted on the second shaft for rotation with the second shaft, the hasp being rotatable to selectively engage or disengage a projection on a door in at least one predetermined position of the first shaft, and yieldable means for normally biasing the hasp to a position substantially inside the first portion of the handle and out of engagement with any projection on an associated door in the predetermined position of the first shaft.

2. In combination, a handle including a first generally hollow cylindrical portion disposed about a substantially central axis and having at least one closed end and a second portion secured to said first portion and extending away from the axis of the first portion, a first shaft secured to the first portion and adapted to be rotatably mounted in a door, a second shaft rotatably mounted on and disposed substantially inside the first portion transversely with respect to the first shaft, a hasp mounted on the second shaft for rotation with the second shaft, the hasp being rotatable to selectively engage or disengage a projection on a door in at least one predetermined position of the first shaft, and yieldable means for normally biasing the hasp to a position substantially inside the first portion of the handle and out lof engagement with the projection on the door, said hasp including a projecting portion disposed inside the first portion of said handle adjacent the second shaft to assist in maintaining the second shaft in assembled relationship with the hollow cylindrical portion of the handle.

3. Means for latching a door to an enclosure comprising a first shaft mounted on and extending through the door for rotation about its own axis, latching means operatively connected to said shaft and mounted on one side of the door, said latching means being actuable by rotation of the shaft between first and second positions for latching and unlatching the door, respectively, an operating handle including a first generally hollow cylindrical portion mounted on the shaft on the other side of the door and rotatable with the shaft and a second portion extending away from the first shaft, a second shaft rotatably mounted on and disposed inside the rst portion of said handle transversely with respect to the iirst shaft, a latching member rotatably mounted on the second shaft `of the handle for rotation about an axis which is transverse to the axis of the first shaft, a projecting member mounted on the other side of the door in the path of rotation of the latching member on the handle to engage the latching member when the shaft is in a predetermined position to thereby prevent rotation of the References Cited UNITED sTATEs PATENTS 2,363,344 11/1944 Livenick 292-281 2,629,619 2/1953 May 292-281 2,672,746 3/1954 Arens 70-210 3,076,328 2/1963 Rhodes et a1 70-92 FOREIGN YPATENTS 3,890 6/1919 Netherlands.

MARVIN A. CHAMPION, Primary Examiner.

EDWARD C. ALLEN, Examiner.

I. R. MOSES, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN COMBINATION, A HANDLE INCLUDING A FIRST GENERALLY HOLLOW CYLINDRICAL PORTION DISPOSED ABOUT A SUBSTANTIALLY CENTRAL AXIS AND HAVING AT LEAST ONE CLOSED END AND A SECOND PORTION SECURED TO SAID FIRST PORTION AND EXTENDING AWAY FROM THE AXIS OF THE FIRST PORTION, A FIRST SHAFT SECURED TO THE FIRST PORTION AND ADAPTED TO BE ROTATABLY MOUNTED IN A DOOR, A SECOND SHAFT ROTATABLY MOUNTED ON AND DISPOSED SUBSTANTIALLY INSIDE THE FIRST PORTION TRANSVERSELY WITH RESPECT TO THE FIRST SHAFT, A HASP MOUNTED ON THE SECOND SHAFT FOR ROTATION WITH THE SECOND SHAFT, THE HASP BEING ROTATABLE TO SELECTIVELY ENGAGE OR DISENGAGE A PROJECTION ON A DOOR IN AT LEAST ONE PREDETERMINED POSI- 